On the 16th of January the second battalion was disbanded at Athlone, transferring six hundred and sixty men to the first battalion. The regiment performed duty in the counties of Cork, Limerick, and Clare, until June, 1820, when it marched to Dublin. In the autumn of the same year, the regiment embarked for England; it landed at Liverpool, and was afterwards stationed at Manchester and Macclesfield. [Sidenote: 1821] On the regiment quitting these quarters, in February, 1821, Major-General Sir James Lyon stated, in a letter to Lieut.-Colonel Forssteen, 'Although the TWELFTH foot have been stationed but a short time in this place, I cannot refrain from expressing to you, that no military change could have given me more concern than their departure. I have had every opportunity of observing their uniform good conduct and strict attention to every branch of discipline, and nothing but satisfaction has ever been manifested to me by the civil authorities, and the inhabitants in general, on the very exemplary behaviour of the men. I beg of you to make known to the corps, the value I attach to the honor of having had a regiment of such high character placed under my orders, and that I must ever take an interest in its welfare and success.' From Lancashire, the regiment marched to Portsmouth, where it embarked for Jersey and Guernsey. [Sidenote: 1822] [Sidenote: 1823] While stationed at these islands, the appearance of the regiment, the conduct of the men, and the excellent system of interior economy which existed in the corps, elicited the commendations of Major-General Sir Colin Halkett, at the inspections in October, 1821, May and October, 1822; and when the TWELFTH were about to return to England, in May, 1823, the Major-General repeated his expressions of approbation, with his warm interest in the welfare of the corps. The conduct of the four companies at Guernsey, under Major Bayley, was also specially commended by the Lieut.-Governor, Colonel Sir John Colborne. On arriving in England, the regiment was stationed at Chatham and Sheerness until October, when it proceeded to Fort Cumberland. On the decease of General Sir Charles Hastings, Baronet, the Colonelcy was conferred on Lieut.-General the Honorable Robert Meade, from the ninetieth regiment, by commission dated the 9th of October, 1823. The regiment having received orders to transfer its services to Gibraltar, the scene of its former triumphs, it embarked on board of His Majesty's Ships "Ganges" and "Superb," on the 8th of November, and arrived at that celebrated fortress on the 25th of the same month. [Sidenote: 1825] In 1825, the establishment of the regiment was augmented from eight to ten companies, _six_ to be considered _service companies_ and remain at Gibraltar, and _four depôt_ companies to be stationed in the United Kingdom; in consequence of this arrangement the officers and non-commissioned officers of two companies were sent to England. [Sidenote: 1827]